1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hospital beds and specifically to improved means to adjust the position of the patient in the hospital bed.
More particularly, this invention relates to means to move the patient toward the head of the hospital bed by controllable displacement of specially arranged canvas.
2. Description of the Related Art
When patients are occupying hospital beds, there is a tendency for the patient to gravitate toward the foot of the bed. This tendency is exaggerated when the head of the bed is elevated, as it often is, either for patient comfort or to facilitate examination or treatment of the patient. It is therefore necessary to periodically move the patient toward the head of the bed.
Devices for shifting a patient toward the head of the bed are known in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,717 to Underwood discloses a hospital bed wherein one edge of the bedsheet is secured to a transverse rod rotatably mounted at the head of the bed. When the rod is turned, as by a crank attached thereto, the bedsheet and patient are moved toward the head of the bed.
However, this device and other prior art devices have several disadvantages. First, the patient may be moved only a short distance before the available supply of sheet is exhausted. Furthermore, continually sliding the sheet with the patient thereon along the mattress can result in excessive wear to the mattress cover, and may also produce wrinkles and folds in the mattress cover, with resulting discomfort and irritation to the patient. Finally, this and other prior art devices are not practical for use in cases where a separate and distinct cushion is placed on top of the mattress, as with burn or other highly fragile patients. In such cases, friction between the cushion and the sheet upon which the patient rests would hinder longitudinal movement of the patient, as well as cause excessive wear to the cushion or impart longitudinal movement thereto.